Twenty in their 20s 2026: Tarick Johnson and Brett Roblez

Tarick Johnson, 27

Owner, The Cozy Griddle

A self-proclaimed love of breakfast inspired the former Catholic High School football player to open his restaurant on Coursey Boulevard in May 2025 and a second location inside Main Street Market in December of the same year. “My goal has always been to help others and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, and building this business has allowed me to do that,” Johnson says.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

It’s more than a job; it’s an opportunity to live on purpose every day. I get to intentionally create an environment where people can experience quality time, quality food and quality service.

What part of your work do people not see?

When the business closes, the day isn’t over. There are many long nights and early mornings, and it takes discipline and determination to keep moving forward when leading a business.

What’s your personal pep talk?

I often say “Why not me?” and “You may not be for everyone, but you are for someone,” and I apply those to my personal and professional life.

Brett Roblez, 27

Owner, producer, director and cinematographer, Dinosaur Rumblings Entertainment

Roblez founded his studio with a mission to revitalize the film industry in Louisiana, and he has created hundreds of jobs on award-winning projects ranging from dark comedy to true crime documentaries. He has also led efforts to help the homeless and raised funds for victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.

How do you define success?

Success to me would be that I have set up a system that regularly employs Baton Rouge’s film community internally so that we aren’t chasing Hollywood and, more importantly, those filmmakers aren’t worrying about where their next rent payment is coming from but are working on projects they are passionate about.

How do you motivate yourself?

My Pawpaw Frank Cucinello was 15 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor; he lied about his age and enlisted in the Army. Anytime I’ve encountered a problem, I just think about Pawpaw Frank because if he could survive at 16 fighting literal Nazis while running into machine gun fire, certainly I can tackle whatever is put in front of me.

What’s your next big goal?

My next goal is to make a narrative feature that plays in theaters nationally. We have started production on it, and I’m excited to see how it turns out.